Texas Attorney General: Lesbian couple’s marriage should be void

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

A day after a lesbian couple were allowed to marry in the state of Texas on medical grounds, the Attorney General there has argued that it should be deemed void.

The couple, who married in Austin, were allowed to marry for medical reasons, and a rabbi preceded over the ceremony, after the marriage licence was issued.

The couple,Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant, who were described by officials as “medically fragile”, as Goodfriend has ovarian cancer, were allowed to marry after a state district court ordered that officials should not rely on the unconstitutional ban on same-sex marriage in the state.

Attorney General Ken Paxton moved quickly after the couple married, appealing the Texas Supreme Court, which quickly blocked other couples from marrying in the state.

Paxton’s office said it would go further to argue that the marry should be declared void.

“Activist judges don’t change Texas law and we will continue to aggressively defend the laws of our state,” Paxton said in a statement.

The state of Texas’ same-sex marriage ban was found unconstitutional last year, but the judge issuing the ruling stayed it, in order to facilitate a state appeal.